Life - Life & Death Book 1

Chapter 24 - Part 2 - Zivena

The next morning, Mictain, Vulcan and I hike the trail to the arena, our bags flung over our shoulders. All three of us are apprehensive. Taregan hasn't given us anything to work with. I glance at Mictain and the dread we share is obvious. He senses my gaze and gives me a small encouraging smile before he falls back into his own thoughts.
We're close to where the path opens onto the huge clearing around the arena and as we draw nearer, I can feel anticipation thick in the air. Excitement buzzes and the chatter seeps through the trees. We leave the main forest as the path evens out and we're faced with thousands of people.
"What is this?" Mictain breathes. Neither Vulcan or I can answer.
I shake my head slowly. There are so many people!
"Mictain! Zivena! Vulcan!" I hear Taregan's voice call our names. We rush over to the back entrance of the arena and find Taregan standing by the door.
"Took you all long enough to get up here."
"Taregan, what's going on? Why are there so many people here?" Mictain asks.
Taregan frowns at us. "They're here for a good show. So you three better deliver."
A show? A show?
"You've got to be kidding me," I mutter.
Taregan leads us to our rooms and I find Mom standing outside my door. I stop next to her as Mictain walks past us, giving me a nervous look. He's just as freaked out by all the people as I am.
"Mictain, wait," Mom says. "I'd like to speak to both of you."
We follow her into the small change room and she closes the door behind us.
"I never wanted this for either of you." Mom starts. "I had hoped that even being Life and Death you wouldn't be faced with anything so difficult as the case you've been given to solve." There's a pleading look on her face. "You've both shown a lot of resilience and strength with what's been thrown on you. It makes me so proud to see you both stand so tall and I know you're parents would be proud of you as well, Mictain."
Mom pulls Mictain into a hug and the longing on his face kills me.
"You're stuck with us now, you know," I grin at him over Mom's shoulder. Peace settles over him. For the first time since meeting him, there isn't a shred of guilt tearing up his insides. There's only hope and belonging. My grin grows.
"Zivena's right," Mom pulls away. "There's no way you're getting rid of us."
Mictain gives us a shaky smile.
Mom moves so she can face both of us. "Ignore all the people out there. From what I've heard, they're going to throw everything they have at you and then some. You're both going to be fantastic," Mom smiles then leaves.
When the door shuts behind her Mictain says, "Thank you."
I turn to him. "For what?"
"For making me feel welcome. After everything you know about me."
"You're my friend, Mictain. What happened when you were a kid isn't going to change that."
He nods. "I better go get changed." He slips out the door, leaving me alone.
I sigh and dump my bag on the bench in the corner.
I pull on my armored gear and shove my feet into my perfectly worn in boots. Tying a belt around my hips, I attach my katar and sheath on my right side and put Imogen's necklace on. The purple stands out brightly in contrast to the black. It won't be long till I see her now.
"Vulcan, you're up." Taregan's voice calls over the speakers. I poke my head outside and see the freckled God of Fire step out of his room down the hall. Vulcan straps his Samurai sword on his back. His nerves replace his usual goofy grin.
"Go show them what the real God of Fire can do," I call out to him. He gives me a nervous laugh before walking to the main doors at the end. For a split second, I can see the trees in the arena before the doors click shut.
Mictain leaves his room, "Has Vulcan already left?"
I nod in reply.
We stand in silence for a while. Cheers and shouts travel down the concrete lined walls and I try not to think about what we'll be up against. I start pacing.
"We're going to be fine, Zivena," Mictain says. He's leaning against the wall with his arms folded. It's the first time I've seen him in his armored gear.
"Are we though?" I find myself saying.
"We have Taregan, Hod and Artemis. There's also your parents and Vulcan and Flora. We're not going to be alone."
I sigh. "I know, it's just hard to imagine what it's going to be like."
Mictain smiles, "At least we will be figuring it out together."
I smile back. I think back on everything Mictain has been through and it's hard to believe that he can still be so kind. Have I made the right choice? Should I have—
"Mictain. Zivena. You're up." Taregan calls over the speaker.
I shake my head and glance at Mictain. It seems like he's about to say something as he gazes at me then thinks better of it.
"You should get rid of your glamour," Mictain says before heading to the door.
My green hair falls down my back and I tie it up. I stand next to Mictain as we wait for the doors to open.
"You have a lot of passion, Zi," Mictain says without looking at me. "You're going to go far as long as you stay passionate."
Where is this coming from? "Having passion doesn't mean I'll make smart choices. There are times I need to be more logical. Like you."
"It sounds like we even each other out."
The doors open before I can reply.
Here we go.
We walk through the trees and for a moment everything is silent. As we hit the tree line, shouts and screams tear through the arena. I don't look up. I don't want to see all these Guardians watching us.
As we reach the middle of the arena, the stadium takes a collective breath and all falls silent again. Next to me, Mictain clenches his fist before sliding into a defensive stance. I move so we're back to back and fall into a similar position.
Mictain disappears. The next moment, black flames circle us. Inhuman screams fill my ears as the sky turns black; time to move.
Heat sweeps over me. Shadows start to shift, pooling in a puddle beside me. Mictain steps from the shadows giving me a cold look. "Let's get this over with," he says.
I grin in response.
Fire rips along my skin and I jump into the sky, flames dripping from me. I aim for the heart of the demon swarm, their teeth and claws try to gut me. Fire bursts from me.
The power writhing inside me wants to get out and I won't deny it. I'm floating in the now clear sky, looking down at a hundred Mictains running and destroying. I can't even tell which one Mictain is. His soul fills the entire stadium.
Something whizzes past my head. My hand snatches it and squeezes but it makes a strange noise; metallic crunch instead of cracking bones. A drone... With a camera on it. The drone burst into flames as my anger crests. They're filming? I let go of the burning hunk of metal. The air stops supporting me and I fall straight down, landing next to Mictain. Or one of them, anyway.
The quicker we end this, the less footage they're going to have.
I soak each part of my body with power until it's overflowing. Roots start to lift from the dirt. In a flash, they pull demons from the earth and sky. Crushing them. Pulling them apart. Gray, black and putrid red blood rains down.
My feet shift. I launch myself forward. Wind forces me to go faster. Fire bursts from my skin, burning everything near me to a crisp. Earth crushes, slams and squishes any demon in my path. I pull water from the clouds to boil fire demons alive. Their charred flesh freezes over, killing their inner flame.
My body twists and bends. Nonstop movement as I kill as many demons as I can. From red horned beasts that might once have been alligators, to hairless, hulking things with rows of teeth. Bats the size of men, and wolves with skin like plates of armor.
I claw my way through hordes of the flesh eating beasts. I tear into the monsters that have plagued people for millennia. My power is as limitless as these demons seem. They don't stop charging us, hoping to get a bite before the others do. The magic that flows in me screams to get out. It roars through my veins, driving me forward.
Mictain runs past me, his shadows slicing effortlessly through the armored wolves. He uses illusions to distract the demons before swooping in behind to slaughter them. On the other side of the arena, the black flames burn tirelessly, snatching flying demons out of the sky like a bug zapper.
I don't know how long this lasts for. I don't even know if I'm breathing. All I know is that I'm revelling in feeling free. My power is endless. Who the hell is going to stop me?

✲✲✲✲✲

Mictain's illusions surround the last demon. Adrenaline sprints through my system and keeps me alert even though I can feel my energy waning. Thank the gods it's almost over!
The shadows from each of the illusions stretch towards the large, slimy green demon. It howls and screeches as the shadows pounce. Tearing it apart. Leaving nothing but scraps and blood.
I let go of the breath I must have been holding. I grin at Mictain as he gives me a look of sheer relief. It's over.
Mictain's eyes leave my face and focus on something behind me. I hesitate before turning around.
I groan. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."
"What the hell is that thing doing here?" Mictain mutters.
I try to find Taregan in the crowd. He's sitting by my mom with a frown on his face. So this wasn't planned then.
The demon has taken on a human form with claws for fingers.
"Unholy demons aren't driven by instinct," Mictain says. I don't know if he's talking to me or just to himself. "They don't get themselves involved in our world unless they want something."
"It's not supposed to be here," I explain.
Mictain doesn't reply. Instead, he molds the shadows into swords and takes a low stance. I remove my katar from its sheath, focusing my power into my arms and legs.
Together we sprint forward. No point standing around, waiting for it to get to us. We move in sync. Dodging and swerving around one another as we throw everything we have at it. But it attacks back with swinging claws, aiming to maim any part it can reach. And gods its fast! Faster then I've seen Mictain move.
Mictain and I halt. There's roughly ten feet between the three of us, Mictain and I on either side of it.
"Hello little ones," it grins. Its voice horribly familiar. It crawls up my back and slithers into my ears like too sweet honey. "It's wonderful to finally meet you both face to face. I was rather upset that our first conversation was so short."
Shock overrides my system and I'm stuck, frozen to the ground beneath my feet.
I can sense that Mictain is as surprised as I am but instead of being a useless sack of potatoes like me he jumps straight into action.
"How did you get out?"
Its lovely, haunted face smiles slowly, sensually. Every feature is a neutral shape without being too feminine or masculine but the symmetry is perfectly stunning in every way.
"Zivena, that look is very unbecoming," the Bringer of Torment and Ruin tuts, ignoring Mictain entirely. Then without warning it launches itself at Mictain all the while never taking its eyes off me.
Mictain seems to hold his own for a moment before blood sprays into the air surrounding him and he leaps back. Blood gushes down one arm and across his chest. He face is stricken as he summons the shadows but the Father of Darkness is too quick. It spins, its leg slamming into Mictain's side. The kick sends Mictain skidding across the arena, his back slams against a tree.
Something primal takes over me. Something familiar. My vision blurs from the rage that roars through me.
"You will not hurt him," I growl.
In a frenzy, I race towards it. My power thrives as I force it into every cell of my body, the wind pushing me forward as I slam my fist into its face.
Its neck snaps but I don't stop as I see that manic grin back on its face. A scream claws up my throat. Fire floods from me like a broken dam. It surrounds us and I let the heat spread until the rocks melt beneath my feet. I watch as the Father of Darkness sinks into the magma but there's no satisfaction in destroying it. Revulsion takes over as it cackles while its flesh melts from its bones.